The kidneys remove waste product from the body, and regulate and balance body levels of various fluids and metabolites. Impairment in kidney function can lead to serious health problems, and can be fatal. Decreased or weakened kidney function can be caused by a number of different factors and conditions, including, although not limited to, diabetes, hypertension, certain drugs or toxins, congenital disease, trauma (including dehydration, shock, etc.), injury, and surgery. These and other conditions can ultimately result in, not only weakened or impaired kidney function, but kidney failure. Subjects with acute or chronic kidney failure may be treated with hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis or kidney transplantation. It is estimated that at least 20 million Americans suffer from chronic kidney disease, and another 20 million are at risk. (Source: National Kidney Foundation website.)
Improving kidney function in subjects with impaired kidney function would contribute greatly to quality of life by reducing the need for serious medical procedures and preventing progression to kidney failure. Therefore, there is a need in the art for methods for improving kidney function. The present invention meets this need by providing methods for improving kidney function and compounds for use in these methods. In particular, the present methods and compounds can be used to improve kidney function in a subject having or at risk for having impaired kidney function. The subject can be a subject having or at risk for having acute or chronic kidney failure, or any other impairment of the normal functioning of the kidney. The present methods and compounds can further be used to improve measurable parameters of kidney function, such as serum creatinine, glomerular filtration rate, and blood urea nitrogen (BUN).